


The Electoral Process

by Noxnoctisanima



Category: Leverage
Genre: Elections, Gen, imperfect understanding of the american electoral process, post: San Lorenzo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-21
Updated: 2015-06-21
Packaged: 2018-04-05 10:29:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,070
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4176450
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Noxnoctisanima/pseuds/Noxnoctisanima
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Parker wants to know what this whole 'election' thing is about.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Electoral Process

**Author's Note:**

  * For [mayachain](https://archiveofourown.org/users/mayachain/gifts).
  * Inspired by [Term of Engagement](https://archiveofourown.org/works/3296453) by [mayachain](https://archiveofourown.org/users/mayachain/pseuds/mayachain). 



Eliot was never quite sure what Parker did and did not understand about the world. She could tell you the specs of the any museum alarm system on earth and yet she was still completely baffled by the concept of waffles. 

The flight back from San Lorenzo was long but elated, it wasn’t that often that you managed to steal an entire election and put an enemy in a deep dark hole at the same time. 

Eliot was dozing as well as he ever could outside his own space when he felt someone watching him. He cracked his eyes and it was only his experience with Parker that stopped him from flinching when he opened them to her face looming over him. That didn’t stop him from growling at her.

“Christsakes Parker, you don’t do that to people.” He sat up and she at least had the sense to pull back so he wouldn’t headbutt her. 

“Do we do that stuff we did back there in America?” She knelt down in the aisle, blissfully ignoring the frown from the flight attendant.

“Fixing elections? Not since 2000.” He sighed when his reference fell flat. “No Parker, it’s a little harder to fake an American election. Too many people watching to do what we did.” 

“But do we do the thing where you write on the little pieces of paper in the little cardboard boxes?” She looked genuinely curious and Eliot had to remind himself that was essentially raised by thieves and money and neither of those had much respect for the electoral process. 

“Some do yeah, and some vote on computers.” 

She thought for a moment and then jumped to her feet. 

“Thanks Eliot!” 

He watched her go and muttered to himself. “Twenty pounds of crazy.”

 

They were back in Boston before she approached Hardison. 

He should know by now to expect her whenever he turns around. But he still yelped when he spun around and she was standing behind him.

"For god sakes woman, make some noise."

She cocked her head at him.

"Hardison, can you hack an American election?"

"Darling I can hack anything if it’s run on computers, most elections aren’t though. I need a crew, a couple of cons. I can trick computers but they still count most of the votes by hand. Barbarians." He thought for a while. "Give me a couple of months, maybe a year, I could sway public opinion, maybe rig a party nomination, some of those are online now." He continued to look thoughtful, obviously caught up in the idea now. “You know, I do have a few days before the next case…” He trailed off, turning back to his screens. 

“But you can’t just change them.” Her voice drew him out of his latest nefarious plans and he turned back, a little sheepish.

“Not individual votes, no. Even the electronic voting systems are usually stand alone systems.” He shrugged. “Until the government catches up with the 21st century your votes are safe from me.” 

Parker smiled brightly and turned on her heel, bouncing out of the room as fast as she had entered it. Hardison watched her go, then wheeled back to his screens. 

“Now, let’s see what the Republicans make of this.”

 

“Nate.” 

Poke.

“Furmbke.” 

“Nate.” 

Poke.

“Gway.”

“Nate.” 

Shove. 

“Parker, go away.” 

“Nate.” 

Nate finally raised his head off the couch cushion and looked at her. 

“Parker I’m alive, you can stop poking me.” 

She perched herself on the armrest and frowned at him. 

“I know that, you made a gurgle noise when I poked you the first time. And you were snoring.”

“That’s because I was asleep Parker.”

“I thought it was because you drank a whole bottle of whiskey.” 

Nate dragged himself up onto his elbow and frowned at her blearily.

“Well that helped.” 

“Why do people have elections?” 

Nate blinked a few times and then rubbed his eyes.

“I’m sorry, what?” 

“Why do people have elections?” 

“To choose their politicians.” 

“How does that work?” 

Nate groaned and pulled himself fully to sitting. Apparently she wasn’t going to be satisfied with a simple answer.

“You vote for the person you want and the person with the most votes gets to represent you in the government.”

“So everyone gets to vote.” She was leaning in, intent. 

“Except some people in prison, yes.” He groaned again. “Does that answer your questions? Can I go back to sleep now?” 

“Sure Drunk Nate!” She chirped loudly and pushed herself off the couch. Nate winced at the noise. 

“It’s hungover Nate now.” He slid face first back into the couch cushion. 

 

“I hear you’ve been asking about elections.” Sophie approached Parker as she was tending to her latest climbing rig. “I’ve always prefered monarchies myself, absolute power and fabulous crowns.” She sat down next Parker. “Why the interest?” 

“I wanted to know why.” 

“Why what Parker?” 

“Why people were so happy when they got to vote.” 

Sophie smiled. 

“Oh Parker. It’s because we want to feel like we matter. If our vote doesn’t count we feel hopeless, because we haven’t got any say in how things work.” 

“But they didn’t get a say, we made it up.” Parker was frowning, trying to work it through.

“But they thought they did. Each person only has one vote out of millions of votes, but we like to think our single one matters.” 

“So every person gets a vote and we like to know it’s important.” She looked to Sophie. “Is it important?” 

“It can be. Especially in a close election.” 

“Thanks Sophie!” Parker chirped and turned back to her rig. Sophie smiled and left her to it.

 

And that seemed to be it. Parker didn’t mentioned voting again while they were in Boston. Didn’t even hint at it, then a month into their time in Portland, she came to Hardison.

“I need plane tickets.”

Hardison paused for a moment, taken aback by the unexpected request.

“Where are we going?” 

“I need to be in Boston and LA next Tuesday.” She thought again. “Boston first. I want to be there on Monday and then fly to LA on Tuesday morning, and then fly back here. But I need to be back here by eight.” She was so clear in her instructions and Hardison blinked at her. 

“Why could you possibly need to do that.” 

She smiled brightly at him. 

“All the me’s need to vote.”


End file.
